CyanogenMod Account brings remote wipe, lost device tracking, and more

CyanogenMod has announced a new offering, an optional account provider called CyanogenMod Account. With this, users can sign up and get access to more features to go alongside their existing CM installation, among them being lost device tracking and remote wiping. In addition, the account provider will also be used for future projects.

As far as the device tracking feature goes, CyanogenMod says it has been working on the project for a few months now, and that it offers integrated end-to-end encryption for locating a missing phone. If it turns out the handset has been stolen, there's also the ability to erase all the files from both the smartphone's internal storage and from its SD card.

There's also mentioned future uses for CyanogenMod Account, which CM says will be "leveraged" as part of a Secure SMS feature that is being worked on. The folks behind it detailed Account on the CM Google+ page, as well, adding some extra details into the mix. Among those details are a few important tidbits: a user's password is never store on the server, with a public key instead being generated in a browser. As such, someone snooping, for example, will strike out.

CyanogenMod also details its position on the find and wipe functionality, saying that it feels third-party services leave one vulnerable to location info theft and more without permission. Those who are interested will need to head over to the CM Github, where they can access the application to get an account.

CyanogenMod ensures users that there's no requirement to make an account, but those who choose to do so will find that it is secure and private. CM says that it manages the service, and that it is both Apache licensed and open source. There's a privacy policy, terms of use, and all the other trimmings, as well as stressing that CM cannot itself track or remotely wipe any device tied to an account.